PicoBlog

Anyone else feel sorry for future AEW Dynasty events? The show is a B level event on the AEW calendar, but delivered as strong or stronger than the typical A level pillar shows throughout the year. Good luck Double or Nothing.

The new AEW PPV event kicked off with a bang on Sunday night in St. Louis thanks to two major moments, matches, and stars. As usual, the show was bloated and longer than it needed to be, but never dragged like other marathon AEW events in the past. The stars performed like stars, the matches delivered, the card was diverse in style, and the entire show seemed to serve as a “here’s what we do” announcement by AEW.

The company still has to resolve the issue of having talent miscast and too many title belts walking around. The show would have been an even better one if those problems were properly addressed. Alas, this is what they do and they did it well.

Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it. Period.

A very good opener, but also the perfect example of AEW miscasting key talent. Okada got a strong reaction for his entrance and for most of the match — exactly what you don’t want as a presenting heel. Okada tried hard during the match to cheat and was able to really get boos after flipping the audience off. That worked, but seemed all in good fun more than invested disdain. PAC looked great and the action was exciting. Definitely not a surprise to see Okada win.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO

The PPV didn’t need this match, but it certainly wasn’t bad. All six guys worked really hard and had the audience biting on near falls. The finish was compelling. Copeland doesn’t job to just anyone. Malaki Black looks to be on tap as his next challenger for the TNT Championship.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4

Not a great match, but hamstrung due to Hart’s injury. Clearly that impacted what the women could do and unfortunately, that was the story here more than anything else. Nightingale securing the TBS Championship was a cool moment and though the TBS title is below her, Mercedes Mone coming in to face Nightingale at Double or Nothing will inevitably help push Willow to another level.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - O 3/4

I loved this match. It didn’t need to be on the PPV either, but once the bell rang, it delivered. Strong working O’Reilly’s back with a barrage of back breaker moves emphasized Strong as a crisp and lethal wrestler and built sympathy for O’Reilly. Not a match that will elevate either guy to a different level, but a fun reminder of what these two talents can do in the ring.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/2

A weird match. Very weird. These guys navigated choppy waters, but they sailed to where they wanted to go. Chris Jericho is fully a heel and Hook now has a huge mountain to climb with a ton of sympathy behind him. That was the goal and they got there. If you’re worried that Jericho nudged Hook out the way, that isn’t the case. This is chapter two of a long book. As for Jericho, a lot the negative reaction he got felt a lot like “we’re annoyed with you” heat. Ordinarily, I’d classify that as an uh oh for Jericho, but he’s a guy that can play off it really well. We’ll see what happens, but I’m in on this ride.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2

Good match. Storm and Rosa got time to do their thing and the result was a piece of work the audience was invested in. The match built to a tremendous near fall in which Storm hit her signature move and finisher only for Rosa to kick out of the pin at the last second. It was one of the better near falls on the show and it worked because Storm paced out those moves in a cadence that had momentum like a true finish would. It was that pace that convinced the crowd. Storm retaining was a certainty and now we’ll see who’s up next as her challenger.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4

Pure lunacy in the absolute best way possible. The hype for this match was off the charts and somehow it exceeded those almost unrealistic expectations. The first thing that stood out with this match was the pace. My god it was fast. The two guys never slowed down and hit the big spots and moments at 100 mph. The second thing was the creativity. On paper, Ospreay and Danielson don’t have similar styles, but they worked together to build off the other’s repertoire. The result? Unique counters, spots, and moves that were completely fresh. It was a perfect match until the finish. I don’t know who gets the blame (likely Danielson) for including the medical nonsense at the end, but it was unnecessary. Nothing benefited from it — not Ospreay, not the match, and not Danielson. It was added drama for the sake of added drama. That small point aside, this was a classic in every sense of the word. Go out of your way to see it.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 3/4

A car crash match and a good one. These guys worked hard and put their bodies on the line. Following the Ospreay/Danielson match is a tough ask, but they were up to the task. I don’t know that people will remember this in five years, but it worked on this show to maintain crowd energy from a signature match until the main event. The finish was predictable, but exactly what it should have been. Jack Perry is back and he’s aligned with The New Elite. Where does FTR go from here? Man, that’s the question isn’t it.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO

Not a great match, but one that delivered a huge moment for the company. Swerve is the AEW World Champion after a year long journey to the title. The match did that moment justice, which is all it had to do. Joe and Swerve botched the finish initially, but it ended up working out just fine due to Strickland improvising and pulling the audience onto his shoulders with a top rope pose before hitting his finisher for the win. Joe looked excellent out there. He was menacing and dangerous in a way that very much set Swerve up for success. Joe was the mountain for Swerve to climb and Joe selling the way he did emphasized that climb greatly. In the end, it was Swerve’s show. He got the star entrance and the star exit. It’s his time and it’s about time.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4

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